NU finally supports female presidents: Abdurrahman

NU finally supports female presidents: Abdurrahman

PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): After allowing weeks of
controversy, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Abdurrahman Wahid
finally stated on Friday that his organization supported women
presidents.

In his address to a seminar on gender here, Abdurrahman, who
is better known as Gus Dur, said NU would support Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati
Soekarnoputri for president, arguing that Islam did not oppose
female presidents.

"I support Megawati for president because I have knowledge of
religion, not because I have a vested interest," said
Abdurrahman.

"We cannot think only about our own interests, because the
state does not belong only to a certain group," he told some 200
ulemas who attended the seminar.

The seminar was part of preparations for the next NU congress
in Kediri, East Java, next November.

Abdurrahmman previously argued many NU ulemas still could not
accept a woman to lead the country, although he added that
personally he would support Megawati, his close friend, as the
next president.

In the provisional vote count completed on Thursday, PDI
Perjuangan won the elections and secured 154 of the 462 contested
seats for the House of Representatives (DPR). Golkar came second
with 120 seats, while the National Awakening Party (PKB), the
United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party
(PAN) controlled 51, 39 and 35 seats, respectively.

Despite the controversy on the gender issue, only PPP
officially declared that it opposes a female president among the
Islamic parties. Chairman Hamzah Haz said the decision was based
on the fatwa(edict) of PPP's council of ulemas.

Abdurrahman, long known as Megawati's closest ally and even a
mentor, said after a meeting last month with President B.J.
Habibie that support for Megawati might no longer be forthcoming
as he could not guarantee ulemas would accept her presidency.

In a meeting with NU ulemas, however, Abdurrahman deplored
those who opposed a female president saying they actually did not
understand Islamic laws.

"Those who said that it was haram (forbidden by Islam) for a
woman to become president actually do not understand fiqih
(studies of laws)," he said.

Said Agil Siraj, one of NU's executives, expected
Abdurrahman's statement on the female presidential candidate
would end the controversy.

"We support Megawati as the presidential candidate because she
is the only female candidate," he said.

PKB chairman Matori Abdul Djalil said with the statement of
the party's founder that PKB would back up Megawati in the next
presidential election.

"With Gus Dur's decision, PKB fully supports Megawati in the
next presidential election. And we have prepared a coalition to
support her," said Matori.

Meanwhile, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said on Friday that
the party's support for its presidential candidate B.J. Habibie
remained solid although he acknowledged the defeat his party
suffered in the elections.

"It (the candidacy) is a final decision," Akbar said.(45/prb)